Chapter 126. Greenhorns.
Hanu eventually returned.
From his appearance, he had changed his clothes after freshening up in the nearest washroom. However, his demeanor had completely shifted.
When he first arrived at the place, he was confident. He swaggered about like the world revolved around him. But soon after, he was humbled by Aiden Vhorn’s mere presence. He poked the hornets’ nest and paid the price. He had been completely humbled and crushed psychologically. He could not even stand close to the other recruits. He had a very lifeless expression in his eyes.
As for Aiden Vhorn, no one was confident enough to approach him. A couple of ladies stole glances at him, though. However, there were rumors that he was in a relationship with Desmonda Creed. She was a genius also known throughout Hessington State, alongside the rest of Aiden Vhorn’s friends. The number of Rank 1 gates those monsters had closed was nothing to scoff at.
Apart from that, Desmonda Creed came from a very terrifying background. Her parents were the owners of the Creed Guild, a guild with branches spread throughout Hessington State. Her parents were also beginner Rank 3 warriors. They figured there was no way they could compete with someone like that. Most importantly, considering how Aiden Vhorn looked at Hanu when he insulted Aiden Vhorn’s girlfriend, they were able to pick up on the fact that Aiden Vhorn was very serious about her. He was not just playing around with her. His relationship with Desmonda Creed was the real deal. Even if any of them gathered the courage to walk up to him and ask him out, it was obvious they’d be met with rejection. So, they kept to themselves.
The male recruits and female recruits looked at Aiden Vhorn. They were all exceptional geniuses from across several universities in Hessington State. However, glints of admiration and fear flashed through their eyes. Aiden Vhorn was the real deal. Compared to him, could they even call themselves geniuses?
Oblivious to the thoughts and the looks directed his way, Aiden Vhorn finished chatting with Desmonda and the others. He put his phone in the storage bracelet he got from the long-eared woman in the pocket world.
The seniors sending them to military base C322 came out of the aircraft. They wore military jackets, jeans, and sneakers. An insignia of the Eldorath Empire military was strapped across the chest of their jackets.
"Good morning," one of them said. "We are your transport captains. Our names are not necessary because we are not your unit heads. You will each be assigned to units in C322 when we arrive, and your unit heads will be introduced to you. It’s an 11-hour journey from here to Frontline base C322. The aircraft has washrooms in case any of you want to use the washroom. Any further questions?"
The gaze of the captains scanned the 300 new C322 recruits. No one asked any questions. They sighed in relief. Fortunately, this batch of recruits were not as annoying as the previous batch.
No. They could have asked annoying questions like the previous batches. However one of the recruits had shifted the atmosphere. Because of him, all the other recruits were on edge.
Aiden Vhorn.
He had a casual expression on his face. His hands were in his pockets. He looked pretty laid back. However, the other recruits didn’t look too calm around him. He was not even trying to intimidate them, but they were all afraid of him. When did a new recruit become more terrifying than them? The captains sighed. Were the new recruits not supposed to be intimidated by them rather? The captains could only sigh.
"Alright." The one who addressed the new recruits nodded.
After that, the 300 new C322 recruits boarded the aircraft.
The inside of the aircraft was very extravagant and spacious. Everyone felt very comfortable. Some of the recruits sat in groups, others sat in solitude. Aiden Vhorn was currently seated alone. He preferred it this way, actually. No drama. He closed his eyes to rest.
Some of the recruits were chatting among themselves.
"It seems we will have great accommodations in the military."
"Yeah... even the aircraft taking us there is quite luxurious."
The captains noticed the chatter of some of the recruits.
"These greenhorns think they are still in their parents’ house," one of the captains said.
"Heh. Let me crush their hopes before reality does it for them." Another stood up. "Listen up."
The recruits stopped socializing and looked at him.
"The military is not a playground. The moment we arrive, you will all be assigned units, and you’ll be shown your rooms. Shortly after, your unit heads will deploy you on missions. Missions are ranked into normal, medium, high, and hell levels. The higher the mission rank, the higher the possibility of losing your life. You are rewarded with military contribution points when you complete a mission. The amount of contribution points you are awarded depends on the difficulty level of the mission and your performance level during the mission.
Also, your mission performance record will be used to assess and promote you. Ranks above colonels are only accessible for those who permanently decide to stay in the military after their two-year military service. Even if your achievements are as numerous as the sand of the sea, or you manage to become a legendary Rank 3 warrior by the time your military service is up—which is literally an impossible feat to achieve—you can never be promoted above the level of a Colonel unless you decide to stay in the military permanently after your two years of military service. You can use contribution points to purchase cultivation manuals, battlesuits, techniques, weapons, poisons, among others. Every base has a Warriors Association Branch, an Artifact Engineers Association, and an Alchemist Association branch."
The recruits listened to the general rules of the military with rapt attention. The playful expressions of the recruits disappeared. They all became serious. If they wanted to grow stronger, they needed to make sure they did well on the missions they were assigned to, so that they got contribution points to get resources to grow stronger.
The only person who was not concerned was Aiden Vhorn.
All he needed was blood essence to grow stronger. Aiden was well aware that he would not be assigned normal and medium difficulty missions. He would be assigned high and hell difficulty missions—missions that could get him killed. He came to this conclusion because the industries across the empire targeting him had connections in the military. Those higher-ups connected to those industries in the military would pass down orders for him to be sent on missions where there was a likelihood for him to die. Also, the Paranormal Liberation Order had people in the military. They would also resort to a similar tactic to get rid of him, alongside trying to assassinate him on his missions.
But Aiden planned to use those missions to his advantage. The higher the difficulty level, the more threats he’d have to deal with. The more threats he’d have to deal with, the more corpses would pile up and the more blood essence he’d absorb. If anyone thought they’d be sending him on missions that could get him killed, he didn’t have a problem with that. To him, high and hell difficulty missions were opportunities to harvest more blood essence.
The captain continued as the aircraft lifted and took off.
"Those interested in becoming artifact engineers can use their spare time to enroll in the Artifact Engineers Association training in base C322. Unlike artifact engineering, which can only be studied from at least the level of a legendary Rank 2 warrior, some of you are already alchemists. The amount of worldly energy needed to begin alchemy is not as substantial as the amount of worldly energy needed to be an artifact engineer. The alchemists among you can just register with the Alchemist Association base in C322 and assist in making alchemical products in their spare time. Basically, that’s all you have to know. If you want to have better conditions, rise through the ranks. The world is built on value, merits, and rewards. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" the recruits chorused with renewed perseverance.
The captains were satisfied. These greenhorns were not too bad.